Le roy tobey



UNITED TATES ATENT FFIcE.

LE ROY TOBEY, OF PENN YAN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND GEORGE S.SHEPPARD, OF SAME PLACE.

ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 438,034, dated October'7, 1890.

Application filed December 18 1889. Serial No. 334,189. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LE ROY TOBEY, of Penn Yan, in the county of Yatesand State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Engine, of whichthe following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to that class of engines known as three-cylinderengines, and its object is to provide a new and improved engine which issimple and durable in construction,very efiective in operation, and canbe easily and quickly reversed whenever desired.

The invention consists in the construction of the rotary valves and theparticular construction and combination of parts, whereby a continuousrotary motion is imparted to the valves while they are being shifted forreversing the engine, as hereinafter described.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the improvement. Fig.2 is an end elevation of the same with part broken out. Fig. 3 is atransverse section of the same on the line m as of Fig. 1. Fig. l is atransverse section of part of the reversing mechanism on the line y 3 ofFig. 1; and Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are transverse sections of the valves,showing their relative positions.

The improved engine is provided with a suitably-constructed closedcasing A, in the lower part of which is mounted to turn in suitablebearings a main driving-shaft B, having three crank-arms G, O, and 0respectively, extending at angles of about one hundred and twentydegrees in relation to each other, as is plainly shown in Fig. 3. Thecrank-arms O, O, and O are inside of the casing A, and are connected bythe pitmen D, D, and D respectively, with the pistons E, E, and Erespectively, mounted to slide in the cylinders F, F, and Frespectively, open at both ends, and secured at their upper ends to theunder side of the steam-chest G, secured on top of the casing A.

In the steam-chest G are arranged the valveseats H, H, and H providedwith the ports 11 ,11", and H respectively, connecting the interior ofthe steam-chest Gwith the upper open ends of the cylinders F, F, and Frespect ively. On top of the valve-seats H, H, and H are mounted to turnthe valves I, I, and 1 respectively, all three being secured on alongitudinally-extending shaft J, mounted to turn in suitable bearingsin the steam-chest G and extending at one end to theoutside of thesteam-chest, as is plainly shown in Figs. 1 and 2; Each of the valves I,I, and I is made in the form of a cylinder, and has in its periphery alongitudinally-extending groove 1 I, or 1 respectively, preferably ofthe same length as the valve-seat H, H, or H respectively, but somewhatlonger and Wider than the respective ports H H or 1-1 in the valve-seatH. About one-half of each valve extends above its respective valve-seat,so' that when the shaft J is rotated the grooves 1 ,1 and I of theseveral valves are alternately exposed to the inside of the steam-chest,and then pass onto the respective valve-seats, so that the motive agentfrom the steam-chest G can only pass through the ends of the grooves I Iand I to pass into the ports H H and H respectively, leading to thecylinders F and D respectively. It is understood that the longitudinalgrooves in the several valves I, I, and I are placed in the samerelative position as the crank-arms O, O, and C previously mentioned, sothat when the first valve I takes steam, as shown in Fig. 5, the grooveI of the second valve is uncovered on the outside of its seat H, and theother groove 1 of the third valve I is also uncovered and on the rearside of its respective valve-seat H The motive agent enters thesteam-chest G through the usual inlet-opening G, and the motive agent isexhausted from the cylinders F F F when the respective pistons E, E, andE are in their lowermost position, so as to uncover openings F arrangedin the Walls of the cylinders F, F, and F respectively, as is plainlyshown in Fig. 1. The exhaust is thus discharged from the cylinders F F Finto the casing A, and passed from the latter through an exhaust-pipe Ato the outside.

A reversing mechanism is connected with the valve-shaft J and isprovided with a sleeve K, having a diagonal groove K, engaged by a pinJ, secured on the shaft J, as is plainly shown in Figs. 1 and 4, theouter end of the sleeve K being provided with an annular groove Kengaged by pins L, projecting from a forked shifting-lever L, which whenmoved slides the sleeve K on the shaft J and turns the latter by the pinJ of the said shaft engaging the diagonal or spiral groove K of the saidsleeve.

On the sleeve K is held to turn and to slide a gear-wheel N in mesh.with a gear-Wheel O, A

The operation is as follows: When a motive agent is admitted to thesteam-chest G, it passes alternately through the several cylinders F, F,and F by means of the valves I, I and I respectively, when the latterare alternately in such aposition that their respective grooves 1 ,1 andI are over the openings H H, and H respectively, in the val ve-seats H,H, and H so that the motive agent can pass from the ends of each valvethrough the grooves 1 I, and I into the openings H H and H to the upperends of the cylinders F, F, and F The pressure exerted by the motiveagent against the respective pistons E, E, and E forces the samedownward, the motive agent being cutoff at or about two-thirds of thedownward stroke. \Vhen the pistons E, E, and E are nearly in theirlowermost position, then the upper ends of the said pistons uncover theexhaust-openings F of the respective cylinders F, F, and F so as toexhaust into the casing A, from which the exhaust can pass to theoutside by the exhaustpipe A. It is understood that thelower part of thecasing A is usually filled with oil or other suitable lubricant. Whenthe operator desires to reverse the engine, he shifts, by means of thelever L, the sleeve K, so that the shaft J is rotated, and the positionof the grooves 1 I, and l of the valves I, I, and I is changed to firstadmit steam alternately to the cylinders F, F, and F, thus reversing themotion of the engine. Thus it will be seen that the engine is verysimple and durable in construction,effectively transmits the force ofthe motive power to the main driving-shaft, and also permits ofreversing whenever desired.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

In a three-cylinder engine, the combination,

with the three-crank drivingshaft, the pis- LE ROY TOBEY.

Witnesses:

WM. T. MORRIS, O. V. BUsH.

